From Tim Balston, Jersey Secretary, National Union of Teachers.
WHILE it is not the teacher unions’ usual manner to comment on educational policy through the media, I cannot let Senator Vibert’s disingenuous remarks regarding teachers’ maternity pay go without reply.

The fact, as Deputy Southern stated in the JEP on 24 October, that teachers lose maternity pay if they have but one day off due to illness during a period of three months is archaic to say the least and tantamount to blackmail. I quote from the Teachers’ Terms and Conditions document: ‘the retained money (half the maternity pay) will not be paid and she will be required to pay back the money which has already been paid to her’.

This hugely unfair issue was brought to the Education Minister’s attention as far back as March 2004. Since then the issue has been largely stonewalled by Education. No changes to maternity leave were suggested by Education or rejected by the unions. After the issue had been brought up many more times, Education decided to attempt to change other conditions of service which would have been to the detriment of teachers. This unhelpful approach of robbing Peter to pay Paul was rejected.

Indeed, the teachers’ unions have been attempting to negotiate on a whole raft of terms and conditions for many years in an attempt to keep up with improvements elsewhere. Unfortunately, these have only been paid lip service to and no improvements of any consequence have been made. Regrettably, the profession in Jersey now finds itself with worse conditions of service and pensions than England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Gibraltar and even Guernsey.

This dire situation is already having an impact on recruitment and retention of staff, in particular in the secondary sector.
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